1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head slider material, a magnetic head slider, and a method of manufacturing a magnetic head slider material.
2. Related Background Art
A magnetic head slider including a thin-film magnetic head came into use in a hard disk drive for the first time in 1979. The magnetic head slider at that time has been referred to as mini slider (100% slider) in general. Thereafter, magnetic head sliders have been reducing their size so as to become the nano slider (50% slider) whose size is about 50% that of the mini slider by way of the micro slider (70% slider) whose size is about 70% that of the mini slider.
In general, the magnetic head slider comprises a laminate, disposed on a substrate, including a thin-film magnetic head. Such a magnetic head slider is obtained by the steps of stacking a laminate including a thin-film magnetic head on a substrate so as to yield a laminate structure; then cutting the laminate structure in parallel with the laminating direction, so as to form an exposed surface of the thin-film magnetic head; and lapping (grinding) the exposed surface, so as to yield an air bearing surface.
When manufacturing a conventional magnetic head slider, a sintered body having a high strength mainly composed of alumina and titanium carbide, i.e., so-called AlTiC sintered body, has been employed as a substrate of the magnetic head slider as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. SHO 57-82172, for example. Recently, on the other hand, materials aimed at improving the workability have vigorously been developed. For example, a magnetic head substrate in which the average crystal grain size of alumina crystal grains is greater than the average crystal grain size of titanium carbide crystal grains by 5 to 50% in its sintered body has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 3121980, for example). This magnetic head substrate is aimed at improving the processing speed in the processing with ion irradiation and the surface quality after the processing.